The Great Boulevard

Canal Street is a great boulevard, and at night one of the best lighted streets in America. A row of electric light poles, not too high, are placed through its centre, while the electric lights from the store fronts are prevented by the wide balconies from throwing their rays above and are concentrated below. Canal Street is about one hundred and twenty feet from curb to curb, and flanked by broad stone sidewalks. It is the objective and starting point for all horse-car lines, and from it one can take the cars for Chicago, Cincinnati, Washington or New York.

Gallery

1861

Canal Street

1866

Canal Street

Fountain

Canal Street

After 1883

Canal Street

Middle Ground

Canal Street

1890

Canal Street

1895

Canal Street

1900-1910

Canal Street

1900

Canal Street

Mardi Gras 1900

Canal Street

1904

Canal Street

1904

Canal Street

1905

Canal Street

1908

Canal Street

1910

Canal Street

1915

Canal Street

Along the Sunset Route

1915

1920s

Canal Street

1922

Canal Street

1930s

Canal Street

1940s

Canal Street

1942

Canal Street

Late '40s - Early '50s

Canal Street

Mardi Gras

1950s

1950s

Canal Street

1950s

Canal Street

27-Nov-1953

Canal Street

20-July 1954

Canal, StCharles, Royal

1956

Foot of Canal Street

10-July-1956

Canal Street

10-July-1956

Canal Street

1957

Canal Street

1960

Canal Street

1960

Canal Street

1960

Canal-StCharles

1961

Canal Street

July, 1961

Canal Street

August, 1963

Canal Street

31-Jan-1964

Canal Street

1-Feb-1964

Canal Street

1-Feb-1964

Canal Street

May, 1964

Canal Street

1970s

Canal Street

July, 1985

Canal Street

6-Aug-2003

Canal Street

Audubon Building

Canal Street

'A Streetcar Named Desire'

New Orleans

Its stores are richly laden with goods, and its windows display choice French importations of dress fabrics, kid gloves and fancy articles. Other windows have tempting exhibits of choice French candies and elegant displays of boned turkey hid in crystal jellies, together with other appetizing dishes of the French restaurant. The signs of the drug stores are: "Pharniacie Francaise," or "Botica Espanola." Upon the pavements are flower women in attitudes like those of ancient Rome, surrounded with huge boquets of roses and chrysanthemums, in combinations peculiar to New Orleans. Here sits the old turbaned negress, brushing with peacock feathers the flies that gather over her sweetmeats while she laughingly mutters French at the fezed Turk as he passes by in his flowing robes.

Richly attired ladies and children meet nimble Chinese: Boston and New York young men; copper colored Choctaws ; black-eyed Creoles with fine forms and well fitting costumes; Spanish Creoles in mourning, whole families, the children in deepest black with the whitest of stockings; bronzed Mexican greasers, with dull eyes, few hairs upon their chins, and covered with the queer sombrero; Mexican military officers wearing eye glasses; Mexican soldiers with ill fitting garments; British sailors in slouchy corduroys; French sailors better dressed; Mississippi stevedores with cotton-hooks hanging from their belts; the black plantation hand with bulging eye-balls and clothes shining with cane juice. All these may be seen any pleasant day; but Canal Street is broad, broad enough for all this queer conglomerate medley of people of such diverse individualities.

During the carnival season, the store fronts above the awnings have tiers of seats from whence thousands of spectators view the processions.

The Clay statue on Canal Street is the centre of gravity for all crowds and open air meetings. Henry Clay stands there with outstretched arm, which, to the angry crowds of labor strikers or excited political gatherings, is a presence of peace and moderation. It is said that a portion of the inscription on the base was partially obliterated during the rebellion; but on the other hand it is denied that any obliteration has taken place other than the action of the elements.